1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mapping-measurement apparatuses, and more particularly, to improvements of the mapping mechanisms thereof.
2. Prior Art
Various microscopes are used to check the molecular structures and so on of organic and other substances attached to a surface of a solid. In infrared microscopes, for example, a specific minute portion of a measurement surface of a sample held on a stage is illuminated with infrared rays, and a transmission, reflection, absorption or other type of spectrum is measured. To measure the specific minute portion of the sample in microscopes such as those described above, an aperture is provided in the optical path to remove light coming from portions other than the specific minute portion. In other words, only a portion for which measurement is to be performed is selected, and a photodetector receives light only from that portion to acquire data (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 1992-110960).
In microscopes such as those described above, it is difficult to measure the entire sample to be measured at once because a high magnification is used. Therefore, mapping measurement is performed to measure the entire sample or a specific area of the sample in a uniform manner (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Registration Application Publication No. 1995-63994).
In the configuration used in the mapping measurement, the sample is generally placed on a stage that can be driven, and the sample itself is moved to measure different portions.
Since very precise control is required for this stage driving, it is impossible to use manual movement in the mapping measurement. Therefore, electronically controlled automatic stages have been used.
However, one drawback of mapping measurement that employs an automatic stage is that the mapping-measurement apparatuses become complicated due to the stage driving section.